Chapter 28

She endured the pain without making a sound. The aunts had evidently calculated that her familiars could be divided into at most seven, and an attack covering too large an area couldn’t be completely blocked, so one or two would always hit. Although the attack was designed for vampires, it still hurt her considerably; if it hit him, he would be seriously injured.

Feeling a familiar chest catch her back, she didn’t turn around and said softly, “I’ll hold them off, you go.”

“Leaving my beloved woman behind to escape on my own? Impossible.” Emil watched as the five women took out talismans again. “If we leave, we leave together.”

She was somewhat shaken but couldn’t agree. She could protect him, but escaping with him meant completely betraying her people. She was willing to bear the blame for him, but she wasn’t ready to give up everything.

Before she could respond, a silver arc shot toward her face.

Two small egrets swooped down, colliding with the arc and exploding into a dazzling light before disappearing. Several more silver arcs followed, and the egrets dived to block them. After several blinding flashes, only one egret was left. Its body suddenly expanded to human size, with Ethan blocking the last few attacks.

The woman at the head of the pentagram raised her hand, and a thin mist emerged from the center of the formation. A three-headed silver snake sprang up, slithering forward on the ground. The other four chanted incantations, turning the mist into a dense array of silver light points that shot out like bullets.

The seven egrets split into seven again, with four charging forward. Ethan dove into the rain of silver light points, while the remaining three formed a triangular formation to shield Sarah from any that got past.

Sarah was anxious. The five aunts were all experts in the clan. She was confident she could win one-on-one, but against five, unless she resorted to lethal force, she was bound to lose. But how could she harm them?

Noticing that Emil was still unmoving behind her, she urgently said, “Why aren’t you leaving?”

“If you don’t go, I won’t either.” His tone was relaxed, as if he had already accepted life and death, yet was also firm and affectionate. “If I can’t be with you, I’d rather die here.”

Her heart trembled. Suddenly, she saw the three-headed silver snake darting through the rain of silver light, approaching her. The three egrets in formation dived at the snake, and at the moment of collision, the snake’s heads turned into countless silver threads. Some wrapped around the egrets, while the rest surged toward the two of them.

Sarah was alarmed and quickly shielded Emil, retreating. Four egrets flew down to block but were also entangled by the silver threads. The remaining threads pursued them relentlessly. She realized these threads were different from before; unless she destroyed the source of the spell, cutting the front ends would be futile as they would regenerate. She formed a spell sign, but the distance was too great, and it was too late to cast it. The threads bypassed her and wrapped around Emil’s arm—

Suddenly, a light shone from the right, and a soft, thin layer of light cut between the two sides, slicing the three-headed snake in half. The spell was forcibly interrupted and disintegrated, the threads wrapped around Emil dissolving back into mist. This light was clearly formed by a powerful spell, and the person who cast it was even stronger than the combined strength of the five from the De Lin clan.

A clear, steady male voice sounded from the entrance of the Fennel Pavilion—

“My apologies, ladies. He is my responsibility, and I cannot let anything happen to him in my place. Please do me this favor.” Alexander looked at Alexander, his tone polite but clearly indicating that if she insisted on harming Emil, he would intervene.

Alexander knew that with him there, they couldn’t touch a hair on Emil’s head. She raised her hand, and the five women withdrew their formation. “Fine, I’ll do you this favor.”

She looked at her adopted daughter, who was supporting Emil, her gaze meaningful but her tone cold and unfeeling. “If you can’t kill him, don’t bother coming back.”

***

Night had just fallen. Emil, freshly showered and feeling refreshed, had the effects of the anesthetic worn off. He donned a bathrobe and stepped out of the bathroom, standing by the door and looking at the sleepless girl on the bed.

Since returning at dawn, she hadn’t spoken a word. From midnight to morning, and now into the night, she had just stared blankly, not closing her eyes. Even when he had asked if she wanted a bath, she had remained silent, allowing him to carry her into the bathroom. Her lost and pained expression made it seem as if she had lost everything, as if she wouldn’t care even if he took her to the ends of the earth.

Really, why be so sad? Saying “don’t bother coming back” so easily and decisively—such an “everything” wasn’t worth keeping.

His lips curled into a smile that seemed both compassionate and cruelly pleased. He walked to the bedside and said gently, “If you don’t dry your hair, you’ll catch a cold.”

Sarah remained motionless and silent.

He lifted her slightly damp hair and took a comb to smooth it out. After their usual lovemaking, she would often be too tired to get up, and he would bathe and groom her. Her dazed eyes, like a lost fairy in the mortal world, her confused and helpless look often made him want her all over again.

He hummed a tune softly, letting her combed hair spread out on the pillow. Then he pulled back the blanket, revealing her bare, beautiful back. He poured some fragrant lotion, warmed it in his palms, and applied it to her back. He slowly massaged along her graceful lines, and when he reached her nape, he lightened his touch, carefully soothing her tense nerves. His delicate movements had a hint of caress.

Only then did Sarah snap out of her chaotic thoughts, looking at him suspiciously.

Seeing her look, she clearly misunderstood that he wanted to be intimate again. He deliberately grinned mischievously to mislead her, “What’s the matter? Not in the mood tonight?” Her dazed expression was beautiful, but he preferred her sharp look when she argued with him.

Sure enough, anger flashed in her eyes. “At a time like this, you’re thinking about that?”

“What time is it?” He pretended to check the clock. “Hmm, not even seven. We could do it once or twice, then take a bath together and still open the shop on time.”

She glared at his cheeky grin. “Of course you don’t care. This is exactly what you wanted, isn’t it? You wanted me to fall out with them.”

“So what if you’ve fallen out with them? I said I’d stay with you. Whether we die, go to hell, or our souls scatter and never reincarnate, I won’t leave you. Isn’t that enough?” He moved closer to her. “Can’t I replace them?”